Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 rivalling BSA Gold Star 650 spotted in India

BSA Gold Star can be considered a legendary name in the history of motorcycles. Classic Legends who revived the Yezdi and Jawa brands also owns rights to the BSA moniker. While the Yezdi and Jawa have several motorcycles in their line-up whereas the BSA only has one motorcycle in its portfolio and that too is not on sale in the Indian market. Classic Legends brought back the BSA Gold Star and launched it in the UK.

Now, the BSA Gold Star has been spotted on Indian roads and this is not the first time that this has happened. As of now, the timeline of the India launch of BSA Gold Star is not known. If and when launched, the BSA Gold Star will compete against the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. Having said that, considering the UK pricing, the BSA Gold Star could be priced slightly higher than the base trim of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650.

BSA Gold Star is powered by a single-cylinder, dual overhead cam, four-valve engine that has a capacity of 652 cc. The engine is liquid-cooled but it has air fins to retain the old-school look. It produces 44 bhp and a peak torque output of 55 Nm. It comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox.

The original BSA Gold Star was sold between 1938 and 1963 and it came with multiple ranges of engines that is between 350 cc and 500 ccs. However, the new BSA Gold Star offers a 650 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine.

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The original BSA Gold Star was sold between 1938 and 1963 and it came with multiple ranges of engines that is between 350 cc and 500 ccs. However, the new BSA Gold Star offers a 650 cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine.

An Austrian company called Rotax originally build this engine. Because of this, the engine is often referred to as Rotax 650 single. BMW Motorrad used the same engine for its F650 Funduro so it is quite an old engine. However, now it has been reworked heavily so it complies with stricter emission norms and it also features fuel injection now. The Technical University of Graz did the mechanical and visual work on the engine.

When compared, Royal Enfield is using a 648 cc, single-overhead cam, parallel-twin engine that is air-oil cooled. It puts out 46 bhp and a peak torque output of 52 Nm. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox which does have a slip-and-assist clutch.